The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-01-15
? How shall 1t be reformed =

what of thaty How shall 1t be reformed =
Shall II be reduced by a horizontal cut that
would bring our labor into competition
with the cheap pauper labor of Europe,
and further result In meat AK attack upon
the industries fostered and created by It.?
or shall the reduction be made ohly with
an eye single 10 the we'll being of Ameri
can labor and domestic industry? A de.
crease OF revenue may be secured as we'll
by an increase as decrease of the tariff
Indeed a reduction of the tariff would
likely increase the revenue by stimulating
importation; and whenever duty is re-
duced below the difference in cost Of Amer
lean over European production, importa-
ton at once commences; the foreign artl-
Gle supplants the domestic In our cwn mar.
kets, and though revenue arises from such
importation, 1t shuts down and supplants
the domestic manufacture. Our steel
rails are all manufactured here; none are
now imported, and of course no revenue Is
derived therefrom but reduce the duty be-
low the difference in cost of production
and all would be at once reversed. All
rails would be imported, and none manu-
featured here. True, the revenue would
be largely increased, thus increasing the
trouble complained of-an overlooking
treasury-and at the same time, and by the
same token, one Of the gandest industries
of the continent would be wiped out and
destroyed
When the duty upon tea and coffee WAS
repealed it cut off vast revenue to the
government cheapened the cost of living
to the laboring man and interfered with no
domestic industry, Instead, had like rev.
enue been cut off by repeating the duty ny.
on woolens and iron, it would indeed have
reduced the revenue, but II would also haye
destroyed these great industries in all their
manifold forms, wiped out the vast CAPT
tai invested therein, thrown hundreds of
thousands OF labOrers out Of employment,
and deprived them of their means of living
at all. Free Traders and Protectionists
alike favor q reduction of the revenue.
Thus far no one makes issue with the Pro
fessor. The trouble arises with the meth
dds and means Of reduction. The one
would degrade our labor and destroy our
Industries. The other would elevate and
protect our labor, and guard our industrial
system as the most precious jewel in the
crown of American manhood.
In levying duties for revenue, the Pro
tectionist would discriminate in favor Of
and foster the industries of the country,
The "Revenue Reformers" would levy
duties for "reyenue only" with incidental
protection; that is, so far as a tariff for
revenue might accidentally protect an in,
dustry, all we'll But If the same amount
OF protection is given 1t by design of the
Legislature, then the Professor says, in sub
stance, 1t would be inimical to the law as laid
down by the supremelcourt of the United
States, that "the taxing of public property
for private benefit is wholly llegal"-prob-
ably meaning thereby (as public property
Is never taxed, the taxation of one man for
the benefit of another is wholly Illegal
and So 1t falls out that crude, Ignorant and
accidental legislation which neither fore.
sees nor considers esults, is constitutional,
whereas the same amount of protection, if
given by design, is unjust, illegal and
wrong headed.
The Professor refers to the duty on qui
nine, and says mo protectionist will dare to
face the history of this case" Now as
fools are reputed to rush in where angels
dare not tread" permit me to face 1t a mo-
mant and risk results. He says "the war
tax upon this article was dollar per
ounce" that three firms only manufac-
tured It, that the tax was so great I'M
portatiOn almost ceased so that In one year
only360 ounces were imported, land quinine
sold as high as $3.50 per ounce" that
over a million ounces were consumed and
that about forty persons made the whole
product and then he asks us to observe
results, which were that the government
got "nominally nothing for its share" few
laborers were employed, and consumers
were bled millions for the benefit of the
manufacturers, &c, &c; that in 1878 the
duty was repealed, and, "as a matter Of
course the price of quinine fell in few
weeks 81 b per ounce" that none OF the
firms went out of business ~ that the price
continued to fall more was used as the price
diminished; that to-day it is quoted at
! from i0c TO Soc per ounce" and no for
eigner interferes with the American man
ufaCturer"
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